Proverbs 26:20 - Meaning and Application

Contention is like a fire. It heats the spirit, burns up what is good, and puts families and whole communities into flames. So the verse shows us how that fire is usually started and kept going, so we can avoid the causes of strife and keep from its harmful results.

If we want to keep peace, we must not listen to talebearers. They feed the fire of quarrels with more fuel, and they even spread it with kindling. The stories they carry are like firebrands. People who hint at bad motives, reveal secrets, or twist words and actions do all they can to make relatives, friends, and neighbors suspicious of one another, pull them apart, and sow discord among them. Such people should be kept out of families and all groups, and then conflict would stop as surely as a fire goes out when it has no fuel.

When there are no new rumors, old ones soon lose their power. Then both sides may see that a common enemy has deceived them. Whisperers and slanderers are troublemakers who should not be tolerated. To make this plain, the writer repeats what he had said before, that the words of a talebearer are like wounds, deep and dangerous wounds that strike at the heart (Proverbs 18:8, Proverbs 26:22). They damage the reputation of the person who is lied about, and the harm may never fully heal, even if a public correction is later made.

Their words also wound the love and goodwill that one neighbor should have for another. They can deal a fatal blow to friendship and Christian fellowship. So we must not only avoid being talebearers ourselves, but also refuse to support those who are. We should not keep company with cranky, hot-tempered people who always expect the worst, look for quarrels, and react quickly and strongly to every slight. These are contentious people, and they stir up strife (Proverbs 26:21). The less we have to do with them, the better, because it is very hard to avoid fighting with those who are always ready to quarrel.